Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

When this year’s Dungeness crab season opened two weeks ago right on schedule, I breathed a sigh of relief.

As I’m sure did so many fishermen and Dungeness aficionados.

After all, last year was truly dismal, thanks to a toxic algae bloom, which resulted in high levels of domoic acid in the crabs, making them unfit for consumption until the very tail end of the season, by which time most people had sworn them off anyway.

This winter is a different story. The crabs are not only safe to eat, but supposedly meatier because they’ve had more time to grow.

I, for one, am happily indulging already. In fact, thanks to Hayward seafood distributor, Pucci Foods, I enjoyed my first Dungeness crab of the season just a couple days after the local commercial season started. Its new direct-to-consumer site, Daily Fresh Fish, delivers fresh, sustainable seafood right to your door.

Especially when it comes to food. Which can be a good thing if you want real criticism in order to judge something with complete honesty.

There have been times in which I’ve tried a new dish on him, only to have him swallow hard and say, “Where the heck did you dig up this recipe?”

But there are other times, where he’ll take a bite, and say, “Oh! You should make this more often.”

The latter was his response to “Spiced Apple, Ham, and Raclette Sandwich.”

This sammy, which he loved from the get-go, is from the new cookbook, “Eat In My Kitchen” (Prestel) by Meike Peters, a Berlin-based writer and photographer who created the blog, Eat In My Kitchen.

The cookbook, of which I received a review copy, contains 100 recipes for seasonal food with a laid-back European attitude. In other words, it’s food that isn’t fussy. The lovely photos will make you want to cook and eat everything, too, from “Sauteed Endive with Balsamic Butter and Marjoram” to “Pumpkin Gnocchi with Roquefort Sauce” to “Riesling and Rhubarb Cake.”

Sandwiches are typically not hard to prepare. This one fits that simple mode, but delivers extra big on flavor.

Instead, it’s the quintessential Thanksgiving stuffing recipe that takes simple French bread, Italian sausage, Swiss chard, and herbs, and turns it all into a savory, satisfying amalgamation that never ceases to be a crowd pleasure.

The 125 recipes all eschew gluten, dairy and grain. They are arranged by occasion, such as “Game Day Buffet,” “Birthday Party,” and “Christmas Breakfast.”

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t mix and match. For instance, the recipe for “Sweet Potato Orange Cups” is actually listed in the “Easter Brunch” chapter. But I think it’s also ideal for Thanksgiving.